Published: Thursday, 9th July 2026
An exciting new project to help residents come together and make a positive difference in King’s Lynn is preparing to launch.
And now organisers are inviting people to get involved by applying for one of four roles.
The aim is to help build stronger, better connected communities in four target areas – Gaywood, North Lynn, Fairstead and South Lynn – helping residents to get involved and develop their own community-led plans and activities.
Ideas and initiatives will come from communities themselves, to ensure they meet local needs and aspirations, and could include things like establishing a new community group, running a community event, or tackling a local challenge.
Initially funded for four years, the project is a key part of the Government-funded Pride in Place Programme and is a partnership between the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, King’s Lynn Neighbourhood Board, and local charities Community Action Norfolk and Together Norfolk.
In preparation for launching the new initiative, people now have the opportunity to apply for one of four new paid opportunities that will become part of the team running the project and working directly with communities:
• Community Builder: Gaywood and Fairstead & King’s Reach
• Community Builder: North and South Lynn
• Community Builder: Children, Young People, and Families (CYF)
• Engagement Support Officer
Find out more about these posts and apply by 31 July at www.communityactionnorfolk.org.uk/sites/content/employment-opportunities-norfolk or email recruitment@communityactionnorfolk.org.uk
Residents, groups and organisations can also register an interest in their future involvement in the project by emailing vicki.price@dioceseofnorwich.org
The project will also see local voluntary, community, faith, statutory and social enterprise organisations come together and form neighbourhood forums in each of the areas, to build relationships, share local insight and explore how they can work together around the opportunities and challenges facing the communities.
Vicky Etheridge, Chair of the King’s Lynn Neighbourhood Board, said: “Communities are at the heart of the Pride in Place Programme, which is grounded in our belief that neighbourhoods thrive when they have the power, confidence and resources to shape their own future.
“I’m really excited about this partnership initiative and I’d encourage anyone interested in these roles to apply, as it’s a great opportunity to help strengthen identity, community-led approaches, connections and resident-led decision-making in King’s Lynn.”
Councillor Alistair Beales, the Council Leader, said: “This Pride in Place project is fundamentally about helping communities to come together and get involved, to come up with ideas and deliver projects that matter to them and will make a positive difference in their local areas.”
Councillor Jo Rust, Cabinet Member for People and Communities, added: “There is a great partnership behind this, bringing lots of experience in community development and empowerment. It also aligns with our Marmot Place initiative, focusing on partnership, prevention, early help and social determinants of health.
“The next step is to form the exciting team that will work directly within our neighbourhoods and help to make things happen. We’d love to get lots of applications from residents living in those four communities, so please have a look at the roles.”
Rik Martin, Chief Executive Officer, Community Action Norfolk, said: “We are delighted to partner with Together Norfolk and the King’s Lynn Neighbourhood Board, supported by the Borough Council, on this exciting four-year project funded through Pride in Place. We will be using an Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach to help people fully engage in growing their communities from the inside, building what really matters to them.
“While Together Norfolk is a faith-based organisation, this project is simply focussed on communities. It is fully inclusive of people of all faiths and none. By focusing on true ABCD principles, the project will celebrate the unique makeup of King’s Lynn’s neighbourhoods and those things that people value the most within them.”
Vicki Price, Development Worker for Together Norfolk, said: "Churches have been faithfully serving these neighbourhoods for many years, often quietly and consistently behind the scenes. This programme builds on those relationships rather than starting from scratch.
"By placing Community Builders within local churches, we're creating opportunities for long-term relationships to grow between residents, churches, organisations and public services. Our hope is that local people will become increasingly empowered to shape the future of their own neighbourhoods, while churches become even more deeply connected to the communities they already love and serve."
The Community Capacity Project is part of King’s Lynn Pride in Place Ten Year Vision, which is unlocking a major programme of £20m national investment over the next ten years to empower local communities to take back control and shape the future of their own neighbourhoods through community-led regeneration, social infrastructure and building social cohesion that leads to long‑term economic growth.
The Vision – shaped collaboratively with the whole community – sets out a comprehensive plan to support our priority neighbourhoods in North Lynn, South Lynn, Gaywood, Fairstead and the town centre, to enhance public spaces, improve connectivity, boost cultural and heritage assets, and create new opportunities for residents and businesses.